The solid phase can exist in a variety of forms ranging from amorphous materials with no long range order to crystalline solids that exhibit a high degree of long range order with consistent interatomic spatial distribution throughout the crystal. The atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystal consistently occupy symmetry related locations throughout a crystalline lattice to give a highly pure solid phase that can be obtained consistently, conveniently, and cost effectively.
The process of crystallization is thermodynamically driven and kinetically controlled, and these observations have important implications. The process of crystallization is separated into two stepwise processes, namely crystal genesis, also referred to as nucleation, which is followed by crystal growth. Described herein are methods of directing nucleation and crystal growth using surface energy modifications to amorphous substrates.